The Los Angeles Rams have become accustomed to the superstar Matthew Stafford, but former Detroit Lions teammate Golden Tate remembers a different period in the reigning Most Valuable Player’s career.
Coincidentally, it came during a time with Tate himself was in need of a fresh start.
“When I went to Detroit, it just–it was, honestly just God looking out,” Tate told fellow former NFL wide receiver Brice Butler on “The Blueprint” podcast on September 4. “He knew where I needed to be, and where I’d be appreciated, and he sent me where we had a heck of a quarterback, that I knew, even if the world didn’t know.”
Stafford’s career arc has been under scrutiny in recent years, with polarizing opinions about his all-time standing.
However, Tate believes there is at least one contemporary–another former teammate of the ex-receivers’ who has as many Super Bowl wins, one more appearance in the big game, and nine more Pro Bowls–to whom Stafford is compared, and “it’s not even close.”
That is Russell Wilson.
Golden Tate: Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson ‘Not Even Close’
Tate explained late during his interview with Butler that he placed a $200 bet that paid out somewhere in the range of $1,000 to $1,500 (Tate was unsure) when the Rams acquired Stafford in a trade with the Lions in 2021.
The Rams did, in fact, win the Super Bowl in Stafford’s first season under center.
“The point I’m making is, I knew once he got to LA that he was about to go stupid, and that was during a time where everyone thought Stafford was just a mediocre quarterback Tate said.
“Everyone would always ask me, ‘So who do you think’s a better quarterback, Russell Wilson or Matthew Stafford?’ Before they can even finish the statement, I was saying, ‘Matthew Stafford,’ and everyone was looking at me like I was crazy.”
“Yeah he’s taking a shot for sure but he’s also telling the truth… Matthew Stafford is a better thrower of the ball than Russell Wilson is.” —TJ Houshmandzadeh
“They was like, ‘You think he’s better than Russell Wilson?’ I’m like, ‘My humble opinion, it’s not even close,’ right? And people were like mad at me for saying that. Thought I was like a Russell hater. And I was like, ‘It’s just my truth, right? He [Stafford] goes there, and all of a sudden everyone sees what I’ve been saying.
“Now I have people backpedaling like Deion [Sanders] in his prime saying, “You were right. You’re right, GT. Staff is that guy.”
Former Teammate Explains Key Differences Between Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson
Tate spent 2012 and 2013 with Wilson one the Seattle Seahawks. It was the QB’s first two seasons in the NFL. He spent four-plus alongside Stafford in Detroit, perhaps influencing his take.
“Both really good quarterbacks,” he said, “But pure quarterbacking skills, it’s not even close.”
Tate lauded Wilson’s deep-ball prowess, something that he brought with him to Denver, noting that it gave him “options” on how to attack it. He also noted that Wilson was a “play-extender” during their time together.
With Stafford, Tate said, the now-Rams star “threw me open,” noting it would some time catch him by surprise.
“Both both were fantastic leaders,” Tate said. “Russell was a vocal leader, and Matthew was more of a just, he’s a–he was a doer. “He knew like, ‘Hey, I’m that guy.’ Like, ‘O-line, just give me some time. I’ll make it happen.”
Stafford is a former No. 1 overall pick, while Wilson is a former third-rounder made good.
That it is even a debate is a testament to the kind of player Wilson was during his prime years with the Seahawks.
Golden Tate Gets Real About Rams’ Matthew Stafford
Tate said the game “clicked” for him during his fourth season, when he won a Super Bowl with Wilson and the Seahawks. He believed that he had it figured out by the time he joined Stafford in Detroit but “barely sniffed the playoffs” after his exit from Seattle.
That plays into the debate about Stafford’s inability to win with the Lions and how that affects his legacy compared to his Rams tenure.
As Tate explained, even he “didn’t understand how good Matthew Stafford was.”
“Matthew Stafford had a huge part in me in in me being ‘YAC King.’ And this is, again, something I also realized once I didn’t have Matthew Stafford anymore,” Tate said. “His arm talent, his arm strength, how precise he was, and how smart he was played the biggest part in me being like the YAC King.’”
Former Teammate Ends Matthew Stafford Debate With 4-Word Message